Cumberland River crests 3 feet below flood stage in Clarksville

The Cumberland River crested in Clarksville Wednesday morning 3 feet below flood stage. The water covered the lower parts of the Riverwalk, sending debris against railings and embankments.
Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle

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Cumberland River flooding left several parts of the McGregor Park Riverwalk under water Wednesday morning, Jan. 2, 2019.(Photo: Chris Smith/The Leaf-Chronicle)Buy Photo

Ongoing rain with more on the way had the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville on alert Wednesday morning managing water releases from dams on the Cumberland River across Middle Tennessee.

In Clarksville, the Cumberland River crested at 42.96 feet at about 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to National Weather Service data. That's still about 3 feet below the 46-foot flood stage, but is in "action" stage. NWS projections had it dropping from there.

The Red River crested at 26.11 feet on Tuesday at 5:30 a.m., and it appeared on track to drop. The Red River flood stage is 30 feet in Port Royal.

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Cheatham Lock, in Cheatham County near the Montgomery County line, was closed to all navigation traffic on Wednesday morning until flows from the dam get below 90,000 cubic feet per second, according to the USACE news release.

Flood advisory issued

Flooding and related electrical issues caused the Clarksville Parks and Recreation Department to close the Christmas on the Cumberland lights display a day early on Tuesday, which was to be the last day of the season.

High water had the Liberty Park fishing piers and walking trail underwater Wednesday, along with the road and piers leading to the Clarksville Marina.

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory on Tuesday for much of the Cumberland River Basin, continuing through Thursday, and was forecasting the potential for some rivers and streams to surpass flood stage.

Across the Cumberland River System, high lake levels were observed at the four flood control storage reservoirs, according to the USACE. Releases from Wolf Creek Dam, Dale Hollow Dam, Center Hill Dam and J. Percy Priest Dam were being moved through the run of the river projects, which are Cordell Hull Dam, Old Hickory Dam and Cheatham Dam.

More rain on the way

The National Weather Service predicted an additional 1-2 inches of precipitation on Thursday and Friday.

"Depending on the rainfall totals and intensity, unregulated tributaries of the Cumberland River may be affected as well," USACE said. "Appropriate flood watches and warnings would be issued by the National Weather Service. Additionally, river stage forecasts are updated at least daily."

Nashville District’s water managers were closely monitoring the Cumberland River System and communicating with local, state and federal partners to regulate releases from the basin’s 10 multipurpose reservoirs, the USACE reported.